Medieval and Renaissance Studies Concentration
Directors: Assistant Professors William North, fall, George Shuffleton, winter and spring
The Medieval and Renaissance Studies Concentration encourages students interested in the cultures and kingdoms that flourished from late Antiquity through the Renaissance to deepen their understanding of these periods through an interdisciplinary program of study. Heirs to ancient empires, the societies of Europe, Byzantium, and the Muslim world each offer fascinating opportunities to watch societies cope with timeless problems of power, identity, and belief. Encompassing three key, organically interconnected historical periods, the concentration allows students to examine issues of continuity and change more fully, while its interdisciplinary offerings (drawing on ten disciplines) provide the student opportunities to approach these complex societies from multiple complementary perspectives. The concentration is open to students in ANY major who wish to expand their knowledge of this important and fascinating period of human history.
A total of 42 credits (usually 7 courses) is required for the concentration: 18 credits in "Core" courses, 18 credits in "Supporting" courses; and a capstone seminar (usually numbered 395). In addition to the seminars listed below, students may countwith prior approval of both the course instructor and the concentration coordinator'sother advanced seminars in which the concentrator's research focuses on a topic within the period covered by the concentration.
Optional Off-Campus Programs: Off-campus study can be an important part of the concentration. Students interested in study abroad as part of the concentration are advised to consult with their academic advisors in deciding when to go off-campus and with the concentration coordinators to discuss the range of programs available and potential programs of study. Courses taken abroad may count for up to two "core" courses (12 credits) and two "supporting courses" (12 credits).
Requirements for the Concentration:
Core Courses (3 courses/18 credits required):
ARTH 101: Introduction to Art History I
ARTH 180: Medieval Art
ARTH 234: Italian Renaissance Art
CLAS 229: The Later Roman Empire, Byzantium, and Islam (not offered in 20032004)
ENGL 110: English Literature I
ENGL 130: Shakespeare I
ENGL 300: Chaucer I: Canterbury Tales
ENGL 301: The Courtly Chaucer
ENGL 310: Shakespeare: The Histories and Comedies
ENGL 311: Shakespeare Problem Plays, Tragedies and Romances
ENGL 313: Major Works of the English Renaissance: The Faerie Queen
ENGL 314: Major Works of the English Renaissance: Paradise Lost
FREN 351: Topics in 16th Century Literature: Metamorphoses: Love, War, and Monsters in Early Modern France (not offered in 20032004)
HIST 137: Before Europe: The Early Medieval World, 250-1050 (not offered in 20032004)
HIST 138: The Making of Europe (not offered in 20032004)
HIST 139: Foundations of Modern Europe
HIST 204: Crusade, Contact, and Exchange in the Medieval Mediterranean (not offered in 20032004)
HIST 230: Power, Sanctity and the Search for Order: The Early Medieval World, 300-1000
HIST 232: The Renaissance (not offered in 20032004)
HIST 233: Cultures of Empire: Byzantium, 850-1453 (not offered in 20032004)
HIST 234: France in the Making, 987-1460
HIST 236: Women's Lives in Pre-Modern Europe (not offered in 20032004)
HIST 243: The Peasants are Revolting! Society and Politics in the Making of Modern France
LATN 243: Medieval Latin (not offered in 20032004)
MUSC 210: Medieval and Renaissance Music (not offered in 20032004)
PHIL 111: Introduction to Western Philosophy: Ancient and Medieval(not offered in 20032004)
RELG 122: Introduction to Islam (not offered in 20032004)
RELG 123: Muhammad and the Quran
RELG 231: Protestant Thought (not offered in 20032004)
RELG 263: Sufism
SOAN 246: Archaeological Methodology (not offered in 20032004)
Supporting Courses (18 credits required):
(Note: all courses listed as "core courses" also qualify as "supporting courses.")
ARTH 233: Van Eyck, Bosch, Bruegel: Their Visual Culture
ENGL 315: Restoration Literature (not offered in 20032004)
GERM 230: From Gutenberg to Gates: History and Practice of the Book (not offered in 20032004)
GERM 231: Damsels, Dwarfs, and Dragons: Medieval German Literature (not offered in 20032004)
HIST 110: The English Civil War
HIST 238: Topics in Medieval History: Gender and Ethics in Medieval France (not offered in 20032004)
HIST 238: Topics in Medieval History: Papacy, Church, and Empire (not offered in 20032004)
HIST 238: Topics in Medieval History: The World of Bede
HIST 265: Empires of the Steppe
HIST 331: Controversial Histories: Ideological Conflict Consensus in the Premodern World
MUSC 188: Carleton Pro Musica (six credits cumulative)
POSC 250: Ancient Political Philosophy (not offered in 20032004)
RELG 225: Contemporary Catholic Theology (not offered in 20032004)
RELG 262: Millennialism in Cross-Cultural Perspective (not offered in 20032004)
RELG 264: Muslims on the Margin: A Survey of Islamic Minority Traditions
SPAN 330: Cervanteś: Don Quijote (not offered in 20032004)
Advanced Research Seminars (one course required)
HIST 395: War, State and Society
HIST 395: Controversial Histories: Idelogical Conflict and Consensus in the Premodern World